Money worries force sick people back to work

The majority of Britons would risk their long-term health by rushing back to work before they have recovered from illness or injury, a survey suggests.

A poll by Aviva UK Health found that 78 per cent of people would follow this course of action, with 68 per cent citing family finances as their main concern when on sick leave.

Just one-fifth of respondents (22 per cent) said they would never jeopardise their health by returning to work before they were ready.

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Kevin Murdoch, senior proposition development manager at Aviva UK Health, said that long-term sickness can have a major impact on workers and their families.

'The disturbing findings in our survey highlight just how poorly equipped to survive a period of long-term absence many of us are and how this can lead us to make decisions we might live to regret,' he claimed.

'And in fact, the knock-on effects in terms of increased stress and financial worries can at times be as hard to cope with as the actual condition itself - particularly if a breadwinner is affected.'

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that one million workers take time off because of sickness, although the majority return to work within days.

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